Quote:One man is not representative of Christianity, even the Pope.If you're leaning on this argument, then what you're saying amounts to little more than a tautology. Is there 100% agreement among members of any religion? Any political party? Heck, does a single person have consistent beliefs? There's always some dissent. The point is, the largest, most powerful Christian organization in the world decided it would rather suppress and humiliate science than accept the idea that its dogmas could be questioned.
Quote:I wouldn't hold up many politicians in the US as representative of Americans, and you would never hold up the political manipulators with titles of bishop, or cardinal as very representative of Christians either.This is irrelevant. The organization does not have to be "representative," in the sense that it speaks for each and every member. Just because the average American wouldn't have (for instance) sold weapons to the Iranians to fund illegal counter-revolutionaries in Nicaragua, doesn't mean that "America" didn't do these things. Similarly, it doesn't matter that each individual Christian believes one way or the other - what's important is that large and powerful Christian groups have, now and historically, campaigned strongly against science they find contrary to their dogma.
Quote:No, from what I read about the topic, even during his trial and afterward Galileo was popular with church leadership.Um, okay... that's an interesting viewpoint, but if someone likes me a lot, and then puts me before the inquisition, convicts me, forces me to recant, declares my beliefs heretical, and forces me to live the rest of my life under house arrest, I might suggest that I'd have grounds to wonder just how valuable their affection is. Especially when it comes to the thing under discussion - Science!
Quote:But, in the worst abuses of Vatican power, they were controlling and domineering on all parts of human life, not only science. I don't believe it was a good situation, but was more indicative of the excesses of monarchy.Except that Monarchs did not typically make pronouncements about morality for all believers in the Christian faith...
Quote:I believe that Christians follow the teachings and example of Christ, not the rules and dogma of the Roman Catholic Church. Imagine Christ's position on Pope Innocent IV's proclamation of Ad exstirpanda.Yes, yes. I'm sure your religion is much better than Catholics'. But you can't reasonably throw a billion Catholics off the Good Ship Christianity just because it makes your argument work better. For better or for worse, they're half the Christians of the world, the largest and most influential Christian denomination, with its most powerful organization. What they do, "Christians" do, existentially if not universally.
-Jester
Afterthought: Just recalled the name of that particular fallacy: "No true Scotsman."